I tried the run-walk version of Maffetone training last night. It was a little frustrating, as I ended only running for a minute each time before the heart rate alarm went off. So over the course of 30 minutes, I ran half and walked half. I would have rather just run 30 minutes straight, but I will give this method an honest shot.
If after some time I can run for 30 minutes straight at this low of a heart rate, I will be a semi-believer. I will say that the run-walk method felt way better than that super-slow jogging I did the other day. Running below a certain pace puts too much stress on the body in my opinion.
Better that just follow 180-age rule, its more accurate if you do this:
Find your lactic threshold HR by detecting you average HR while running 20 min at full speed (prior a 10 min high intensity warmup) then subract then 20 beats from that and they you have your max MAFF pace… This ease very similar to Z2 speaking on Joe Friel zones….
For me numbers would be 175 (Lactic Threshold) – 20 + 155 BPM… So my long runs are 145-155 bpm, about a 4:50 min/km pace on flats.
This is 7 beats higher than maffetone fomula (180-33 (age)=148
I did a round of Maffetone style training over the winter. My starting pace was about 14 min/mi, and yes it was painful. After a few months though I’d reached about 11:15 min/mi, a nice improvement. I’m going to do the same this winter starting after my fall marathon. I think you also need to achieve some volume with this method to get the most out of it (40+miles/week perhaps).
Love the blog Matt! It’s amazing how you’ll post something I was just pondering myself, keep it up!
I tried out the Maffetone method and it didn’t feel right when running (more like walking and jogging), but i kept at it for a few months. I was able to get my pace up while under my HR taget, but never felt like I was really improving anything. So I went searching for something else.
First, i think you can become a fat burner through diet, not exercise methodology.
Second, I really like this guys breakdown, here’s a few great articles that oppose maff’s method (not directly opposing maff, but some of the science behind his methods):
http://trainingscience.net/?s=maffetone
It was convincing enough for me. I don’t train for placing in races anymore but I love sprinting, and trail running now. So I sprint, 20-40s burst, 4-8 reps, total run/rest 30-45 minutes, 1-2 times per week. Then a “fun run” on the weekend of about an hour down a trail. No watches, no water and I’ve never felt better!
I’ve got another post on this coming…